Phony product reviews costs cosmetic surgery group
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Technology, Health, Fraud, Buyer Beware, Consumer Ally
In an attempt to crack down on the organized posting of phony positive Web-based reviews, New York's attorney general announced a settlement with Lifestyle Lift -- a firm that had littered cyberspace with glowing testimony from pretend satisfied customers.Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said the case is believed to be the first in the nation to attack so-called astroturfing, the practice of creating the illusion of spontaneous support for a product or cause. His office said company officials ordered Lifestyle Lift employees to write the reviews and to go after real customers who complained by attacking their legitimate message board posts or trying to get them removed.
"This company's attempt to generate business by duping consumers was cynical, manipulative, and illegal," Cuomo said in a prepared statement.
Lifestyle Lift, which markets cosmetic surgery at more than 40 U.S. locations, agreed to pay $300,000 in penalties and the cost of the investigation as well as to stop publishing the phony reviews. The company posted a "Code of Internet Conduct & Assurance" on its site promising to deliver only truthful information and to use only actual customers as examples.
A standalone site full of fake reviews, MyFaceLiftStory.com, is now clearly labeled as being published by the company and contains information about the procedures in place of the phony commentary. You can see some of the phony sites and reviews here.
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=619908&pid=619907&uts=1247691352
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-15-2009 @ 8:41PM
VAL said...
I heard that lifestyle lift was a bunch of crap years ago
Reply
7-15-2009 @ 9:25PM
Kevin said...
ZZZZZZZZZZZ
Reply
7-15-2009 @ 10:22PM
Rock said...
...and you DIDN"T get a colon cleanse??
Reply
7-15-2009 @ 11:17PM
Corners said...
Now, if they'd just go after Direct Buy!
Reply
7-16-2009 @ 12:21AM
Wolfster said...
I bought a set of cookware from Mercola.com. After I gave it a bad review, they pulled it from the board and banned me from posting on the site. But they included a "review" from someone whose only exposure to the cookware was having seen it on the site and said she thought it looked great. This sort of thing happens all the time, all over the net. Get at least 5 independent sources before you buy anything you see online, unless you read it somewhere unbiased like Consumer Reports.
Reply
8-26-2009 @ 1:31AM
Redmund said...
I was going to order Dr. Mercola's cookware - the ceramic set but googled unbiased reviews and saw yours. Are you referring to the ceramic set or his cast iron ware? Can you elaborate as to what you thought of the cookware? I too, find that I do not receive response to my questions regarding Dr. Mercola's products. If anything, this dude is making megabucks off of everyone. Why isn't there similar cookware, if his is so great? It can't be that he is the only person in the world that is aware of cookware problems. Oh, and a 50-year warranty is only good if the company exists in 50 years. Few companies these days last very long. I have joined many a health club, only to be out money several months later, because I drive to it and they no longer exist! Thank you in advance for any info you can give me.
7-16-2009 @ 12:46AM
beauty said...
I found a great dating site """""" c e l e b c u p i d. com """""where you have the opportunity dreaming about dating a millionaire and make it true! u dont have to be a millionaire.but u can meet one. I thought everyone needed to meet some miracle after all the terrible stuff in the news and the economy
Reply
7-16-2009 @ 12:52AM
moby said...
Now if they would just go after all those other late night informercials that claim to do everything from cleanse the colon to achieve WOW! effects in the bedroom, we might then have something else to view on tv! One man in particular that i can't stand is that one that has written books about what pharmacutical companies do not want you to know and other publications! Its all much worse than Dionne Warwick's psychic friends network that was removed years back.
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